Should India have played another quality pacer along with Mohammed Shami in CT 2025 final vs New Zealand?

The final clash between India and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 began with the Kiwis winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma made it clear that they have done both in the tournament, so they don't mind batting second. However, India didn't change their team for the final encounter, going with just one pacer and three spinners. 

This combination has worked well in the past for the team. They dropped Harshit Rana and brought in Varun Chakaravarthy in the third group stage game against New Zealand, and it worked like magic. Varun went on to take a fifer against the Kiwis, helping India win the game by 40 runs. Now that the Men in Blue are bowling first, they only have Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya as regular pacers. 

Dubai's pitch favors the batters more than the bowlers. Also, spinners get good help from the pitch as the game progresses. So, the Indian management did a fine job with including four spinners in the team. Pandya and Shami can handle the team in the powerplays, but the spinners will have to step up in the middle overs and not let the batters settle down. 

What is the pitch condition in India vs New Zealand game?

As per cricket experts Rameez Raja and Aaron Finch, the pitch will change as the game proceeds, so batting might become difficult in the second innings. They clearly mentioned that any team who wins the toss should look to bat first. Mitchell Santner did the same thing and went on to bat first. Now it will be interesting to see how many runs the Kiwis will score in the first innings. 

"You win the toss and bat first on this surface. It will get harder and harder to bat as the game goes on. Pace off will be the way to go for the bowlers. Most finals are won in the head. It will turn a little bit. If you win the toss, you bat first. Without grass, the ball will skid on and as an opener you need to be cautious not to get beaten by the pace," said Rameez Raja and Aaron Finch during pitch report.